Brown Butter

I am pretty new to the concept of brown butter, but now that I have discovered it, I can't imagine a life without it. Brown butter is basically butter that is melted in a pan until it browns, giving it a deep, nutty aroma and flavor. It's basically a way to pump up your regular butter.

Brown butter is extremely versatile and gives your foods a little kick. You can use it in just about anything that calls for butter, sweet or savory. In my opinion, it is best used in recipes that have ingredients such as brown sugar, chocolate, caramel, and other deep flavors. The best part about brown butter is that it's quick and simple to make.



As you heat the butter, you will see it turn from pale yellow to a medium brown. Remember to keep stirring! It will start to foam. Be careful to stand by to make sure it doesn't burn. You'll know it is done when your kitchen fills with the smell the unmistakeable nutty scent.

Ingredients:
Unsalted butter

1. Place a pan on the stove over medium heat.

2. Cut butter into tablespoon sized slices.

3. Place butter on hot pan and swirl it until it melts completely.

4. Whisk melted butter until it turns a medium brown color. When you smell the nutty aroma, it's done.

5. Remove from the heat and pour the butter in a bowl, trying to avoid the particles that have sunk to the bottom of the pan. Strain if desired.

White Chocolate Blondies

White chocolate is my favorite kind of chocolate. It's super sweet, just how I like it. I am constantly on the search for new white chocolate focused recipes. When I came across these White Chocolate Blondies on the Cookies and Cups website, I started salivating immediately. After I dried myself off, I ran to the kitchen. Luckily I had all the ingredients and I got baking right away. They were better than I could imagine. These blondies are a white chocolate lover's dream come true.

Going to kitchen to eat one right now...

 Yes, please.

After trying these I've decided butter, sugar, and white chocolate are all you need in life. Let's just get to it so you can make these already.
  


Ingredients:
1.5 cups white chocolate chips
2 eggs
6 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/8 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

2. Melt half (3/4 cup) of your white chocolate chips and your 6 tbsp of butter. Stir constantly. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Remove from heat and continue mixing. The two ingredients will not completely mix together but do your best to combine them.

3.  In another bowl, beat sugar, eggs and vanilla together. Add the white chocolate mixture to it and beat until it is fully incorporated.

The dark specks are vanilla bean. I didn't have any extract on hand.

 

4. Mix in the flour, salt, and baking powder until just combined. Do not over mix the batter.

5. Mix in the remaining 3/4 cup of white chocolate chips by hand.

This batter is addictive!

 

6. Pour in greased 9x9 pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Then enjoy!!!

Adapated from Cookies and Cups

The Best Milk Chocolate Brownies Ever

Welcome to Drive Me Cakey! My name is Natasha and I can't wait to document all my baking trials and tribulations. I am going to show you some of my favorite recipes and experiment with some new ones as well!

My first recipe on the blog is an American classic, brownies! Brownies are often overlooked, underestimated, and misunderstood. But why?! They can be fudgy, cakey, chewy, and moist. Sounds good to me. I spent the majority of my life using a box mix for brownies. They always come out perfect. I know this because they have always had The Layer on top. You know that paper thin crispy layer on top of all the good brownies? I always get The Layer with box mixes, but never with my from scratch brownies. After trying this recipe, I am never going back to boxed brownie mixes!

There's that crackly crust!

Milk chocolate heaven...

This brownie is honestly the best brownie I have ever had. And I've had a lot of brownies! There are no frills to it. No chocolate chunks or walnuts or frosting. Although you can add those if you'd like. It's just straight up milk chocolatey goodness. The pictures don't do the yumminess justice.

The Best Milk Chocolate Brownies Ever

Ingredients:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

½ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1.5 cups milk chocolate chips

2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 teaspoon ground coffee
1½ cups granulated sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Thoroughly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. 

2. In a bowl, whisk the cocoa powder, flour, and salt. Set aside.

3. Boil a pot of water. Keep it on the stove on low. Slice the butter into one inch pieces. 

4. Put the milk chocolate chips, ground coffee, and butter pieces in a bowl. Set it over the pot of boiling water, stirring every two minutes. 

5. At this point, turn off the fire but keep the bowl over the water. Add the white and brown sugar and mix until combined. Remove the pan from the heat and wait for it to reach room temperature before proceeding. Place in the freezer for a few minutes if necessary. 

6. Add the five eggs to the batter and whisk until they are fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix until just combined.

7. Pour the chocolate mixture over the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix.

8. Pour the batter into your pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with a few crumbs. 

Yum!